sailboat birthday cake

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Devil’s Inferno Cake

Riley is an associate food editor for Martha Stewart Living.

As if devil’s food cake weren't already temptation incarnate, we've cranked up the heat with a rich and melty ganache topping and a four-alarm-fire crown. All you need to fake the flames is sugar, water, a candy thermometer, and food coloring. Let the candy cool, and sink the hardened pieces in for a dessert that'll go down in a blaze of glory.

Ingredients

3 sticks unsalted butter, softened, plus more for pans

1 cup boiling water

¾ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder

4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (¾ cup)

3 ½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal)

2 cups packed light-brown sugar

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup sour cream

Buttercream:

1 ¼ cups granulated sugar

5 large egg whites

3 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

1 cup granulated sugar

Yellow and red gel-paste food coloring

4 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped (¾ cup)

Pinch of kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal)

½ cup heavy cream

Cake: Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 9-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with parchment rounds; butter parchment. Combine boiling water, cocoa, and chocolate in a bowl; stir until chocolate has melted. Let cool 10 minutes. Meanwhile, in another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter with brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition. Beat in vanilla, then chocolate mixture to combine. Reduce speed to low; beat in flour mixture in two additions, alternating with sour cream, until just combined.

Divide batter evenly between prepared pans, smoothing tops with an offset spatula. Bake until a tester inserted into centers comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cakes cool in pans on a wire rack 20 minutes. Turn out cakes and place on rack, top-sides up; let cool completely. With a serrated knife, trim tops of cakes so they are level.

Buttercream: In the bowl of a mixer, whisk together granulated sugar and egg whites. Place over (but not in) a pot of simmering water; continue whisking constantly until sugar has completely dissolved and mixture is warm, 2 to 3 minutes. Place bowl in mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on high speed until thick, glossy, and cool, 8 to 10 minutes.

Switch to paddle attachment. Beat in butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, on medium-high speed until combined. Beat in chocolate. Reduce speed to low and continue beating until air bubbles are gone, 1 to 2 minutes more.

Flames: Line several baking sheets with parchment. In a small saucepan, combine granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Bring to a boil and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until mixture registers 300° to 310° (hard-crack stage) on a candy thermometer, 6 to 8 minutes. Swirl in a drop or two of yellow food coloring, then pour syrup into a glass measuring cup.

Working quickly, pour lengths of syrup (each between 1 and 3 inches long) onto prepared sheets, dragging the tip of a knife through in random places to create flame shapes. If desired, add a drop of red food coloring to the last few tablespoons of syrup to create redder flames. Let stand until hardened, about 5 minutes.

Assembly: Place one cake layer on a stand, trimmed-side up, and spread 1 1/2 cups buttercream evenly over surface. Top with remaining cake layer, trimmed-side down. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over top and sides. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes (this ensures a crumb-free finish). Spread remaining frosting evenly over top and sides of cake, keeping top as flat and level as possible.

Ganache: Place chocolate in a small heatproof bowl; add salt. Bring cream just to a boil over medium-high heat. Pour over chocolate. Let stand 10 minutes, then whisk until smooth and shiny. Let cool a few minutes. Pour half of warm ganache over center of cake, then slowly but steadily pour remaining ganache around edges, allowing it to drip down sides. Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour. (At this point, cake can be refrigerated up to 1 day; bring to room temperature before serving.)

To garnish, press candy flames into top of cake, arranging lighter flames toward back and darker flames toward front.

Cook's Notes

The cake, buttercream, and flames can all be made a day in advance and kept covered at room temperature. The buttercream can also be refrigerated for up to three days, or frozen for up to three months (bring to room temperature and beat again for a minute or two before using).

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Emily Leary, A Mummy Too

By Emily Leary . Last updated Feb 11, 2022 . Green links are Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Sailing boat cake

This super cute sailing boat cake is delicious and just perfect for a birthday celebration. It has a rich, buttery sponge, a jam filling, and a sugar paste boat sailing on a sugar paste ocean.

The sponge uses the all-in-one method, which means you can make make the batter in a single bowl, adding all of the ingredients in a single step: just whisk and it's ready to pour into tins and bake!

It might sound so simple that you'd think the quality would suffer but no! The texture of the vanilla sponge is light and fluffy with great structure, and the taste is top notch!

The sugar paste boat decoration is a little more tricky to make, but well worth the effort and I've included lots of step-by-step photos to help you get a great result.

The first time I made this cake, I used cardboard to make the boat, but this time, my young baking assistant, Miss J (8) insisted that it had to be edible, so that's what we did!

Here's how to make this sailing boat birthday cake at home.

Ingredients

For the cake.

• 250 g ( 8.82 oz ) baking margarine
• 250 g ( 8.82 oz ) white caster sugar (superfine sugar)
• 4 large free range eggs large, free range
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 250 g ( 8.82 oz ) self-raising white flour (self rising flour)
• 1 tsp baking powder

For the decoration

• 6 tbsps strawberry jam
• 200 g ( 7.05 oz ) light blue sugar paste
• 100 g red sugar paste
• 2 pieces coloured card
• 100 g yellow sugar paste
• 50 g dark green sugar paste
• Wooden skewers
• Weighing scales
• Measuring spoons
• Large mixing bowl
• Electric whisk
• 2 Round 20cm (8") nonstick cake tin
• Parchment/baking paper
• Kitchen knife
• Chopping board
• Small mixing bowl

Instructions

Make the boat shapes.

Your sugar paste will need time to dry and harden.

In the instructions below, I'll show you how to use your oven to dry it out. Alternatively, you can cut out your shapes the night before.

You'll need three sugar paste colours - I chose red, yellow and green but any will work.

• Roll out the red sugar paste to about 7mm (1/4 inch) thick.

• Cut out a shape for the base of the boat.

• From the offcuts, cut a thin strip that will act at the mast.

• Roll out the yellow sugar paste to the same thickness and cut out two sails.

• Finally, use the green sugar paste to make some portholes. I used a small piping nozzle to cut mine. Brush a little water on the back of the circles to help them stick.

• Place all the pieces on a tray lined with baking paper.

• Now, you can either leave your sugar paste overnight to dry, or you can set your oven to its very lowest setting and place the tray on the middle shelf.
• After about 10 minutes, the sugar paste will be soft due to the heat, but it will have lost a lot of moisture. Don't touch it, just allow it to cool and you should find that it has become hard enough to hold its shape.

Make the sponges

• Preheat the oven to 180C (160C fan, 350F).
• Put the margarine, sugar, eggs, vanilla, self-raising flour and baking powder in a large bowl.

• Beat with an electric whisk until the cake mixture is even and well combined.

• Divide the mixture between two greased and lined 20cm (8 inch) sandwich cake tins.

• Bake in the oven for 25-30 minutes until golden and springy to the touch. Place the cakes onto a wire rack and allow to cool fully.

Fill the cake

• Place on of your cakes upside down on a plate or cake stand.

Pile half the jam on top.

Spread the jam to the edges of the cake. Spread the remaining jam onto the top of the cake.

Place the second cake on top (also upside down).

Spread with the remaining jam.

Cover the cake

• Roll out the blue sugar paste on a work surface very lightly dusted with cornflour. Aim to make it just slightly larger than the top of the cake.

• Drape the sugar paste on the top of the cake. Allow the extra to hang over the side of the cake and shape it into ripples gently with your fingertips.

Complete your boat

• For this, you'll need an edible glue. Place a small chunk of sugar paste (you can use your offcuts from the boat) in a bowl and add a few drops of boiling water, stirring until you get a thick, stiff glue.
• Your boat shapes should now be set. Gently turn them over and use a little glue to bond the sails to the base of the boat.

• Dab a little more glue along the edges of the sails and position the mast in place.

• Place more edible glue along the length of the mast, then place a wooden skewer on top.

• Leave to set. It might take up to 30 minutes. If you can't wait, you can use the same oven trick you used before.

Push the skewer into the centre of the cake to position your boat in place.

And you're done! Time to serve yourself a well-earned slice.

Do you love creating themed birthday parties? Which has been your favourite so far?

Print this sailing boat cake recipe

Here's the recipe for this fun sailing boat birthday cake again in a printable format.

Sailing Boat Cake Recipe

• Pile half the jam on top and spread the jam to the edges of the cake. Spread the remaining jam onto the top of the cake.
• Place the second cake on top (also upside down) and spread with the remaining jam.
• Push the skewer into the centre of the cake to position your boat in place. And you're done! Time to serve yourself a well-earned slice.

This recipe adapted from one provided by Stork and Ruth Clemens of The Pink Whisk.

Pin this sailing boat cake

More sweet treats to serve at a birthday party

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Get Your Kids to Eat Anything is an achievable 'how to' for parents in the battle to overcome picky eating and 'make new the norm'. Emily Leary's unique 5-phase programme looks at the issue of 'fussy eating' in a holistic way that links imagination with food, and which situates parents alongside - not in opposition to - their children.

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Lindsay @ Newcastle Family Life says

July 30, 2015 at 4:29 pm

I love this it looks so simple yet so lovely. My little boy will be turning one next month and something like this will be perfect for him x

July 24, 2015 at 10:39 am

Looks so delicious...

Best Cake Mixers says

July 24, 2015 at 9:03 am

It's really good.Need not a long time to make and different than other birthday cakes.People must love this.

Deborah Chalk says

July 22, 2015 at 1:08 pm

Weekly Whisks

Nautical Cake

• Save Recipe

• Prep 1 hr 30 min
• Total 2 hr 30 min
• Servings 12
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Ingredients

• 1 box white cake mix with pudding
• Water, oil and egg whites called for on the cake mix box
• Blue gel food color
• 1 container fluffy white whipped ready-to-spread frosting

Decorations

• 14 oz ready-to-use white fondant
• Blue, red and golden yellow gel food color
• Lemon juice, if desired
• White sparkling sugar, if desired
• 1 Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pans). Grease or spray bottoms and sides of 3 (8-inch) round pans with cooking spray. Place 8-inch round piece of cooking parchment paper in bottom of each pan. Grease or spray paper.
• 2 Make cake mix as directed on box using water, oil and egg whites. Divide batter evenly among 3 bowls (about 1 1/2 cups each). Add different amounts of blue food color to each to make different shades of blue. Stir each color until well blended. Pour 1 bowl of batter into each pan.
• 3 Bake 18 to 22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 5 minutes; remove from pans to cooling racks. Remove parchment paper. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
• 4 Using serrated knife, cut rounded top off cakes to make a level surface. Place deepest color cake layer on cake plate, top side up. Spread frosting over top. Stack the next darkest color, top side down; spread top with frosting. Place lightest color on top, top side down. Frost top and sides of cake with remaining frosting. Use metal spatula to give frosting a smooth look.
• 5 To make the waves decoration, knead 4 oz of fondant to soften. Add blue food color. Knead fondant slightly to create marbleized streaks. If necessary, lightly sprinkle smooth surface and rolling pin with powdered sugar. Roll out fondant to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut parchment paper into wave pattern (see photo). Use wave template to make 12 waves from fondant. Brush lightly with lemon juice on one side of fondant waves and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. Press waves lightly into sides of cake.
• 6 To make rope, knead 8 oz fondant to soften. Add golden yellow food color. Knead to mix color into fondant. Divide fondant in half; roll out each half into 30-inch long rope. Place 2 rope pieces side by side; press together at one end. Holding the joined end, twist 2 pieces together. Cut 5 inches from end; set aside. Wrap remaining twisted rope around bottom edge of cake; press ends together to secure.
• 7 Cur parchment paper into boat and buoy patterns. For top of cake, color the following portions of fondant as directed, roll out and use the patterns to make the boat and buoy. Color 2 oz fondant a deep blue color for the boat and sails. Color 1 oz fondant red for the stripes on the mast buoy. Use 1 oz white fondant for the life saver buoy. Place designs on top and side of cake as in photo. Place reserved yellow rope over boat.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

• tip 1 For a nautical theme party, look for decorations to match your cake at the craft store.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1 serving, % daily value*:, carbohydrate choice, try these next.

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Pirate Ship Cake

Nov 9, 2023

This post may contain affiliate links. See our disclosure policy .

This Pirate ship birthday cake will be a HIT at your kid’s next birthday party. Get all hands on deck and set your sails toward the kitchen! 

Easy Pirate Ship Cake Ingredients

What you need to decorate the pirate ship, how to make a pirate ship cake step-by-step, decorating the pirate ship chocolate cake, get creative with your pirate ship cake, frequently asked questions, more fun and delicious birthday cakes for kids.

• Pirate Ship Cake Recipe

This pirate ship cake is where it all began! It is the first post that we ever posted on the site and it became a huge hit among our families. This pirate ship cake is fun, creative, and tastes even better than expected! Make this delicious chocolate cake for your next pirate birthday and you will have all the rave reviews! From baking the cake, frosting it in a few different colors, then decorating it just like a pirate ship turned out over the top amazing! It may look like it took me hours and hours to make but it is easier than you think. Get your baking hat on and let’s make this simple and easy pirate ship cake together with step-by-step instructions to guide you all the way through!

Get ready to think like a pirate and create the best ship to take out on the ocean! We started out using a box cake mix for the chocolate cake and bought store-bought icing to make this even easier. This pirate cake is cut into a ship and ready to be decorated now!

• Round cakes – Either make a homemade chocolate cake or use a store-bought cake box mix. I used a 9-inch round cake tin that was greased and floured before pouring the cake batter into it. Bake in the oven then set aside.
• Chocolate icing – Again, make this simple with store-bought icing or you can make a homemade chocolate frosting .
• White icing – This will blend with the blue food coloring making waves under the ship. Make homemade vanilla frosting or purchase your favorite brand of canister in the baking aisle.
• Blue food coloring – Liquid or gel food coloring will give the right amount of blue that is needed for the water coloring in the ocean.

Time to be creative and feel the pirate vibe! You will want to think of a treasure chest, treasure map, gold, and all the pirate theme decorations you can think of. Have fun and think outside of the box about what you can use and create within your own home!

• Pepperidge farm pirouette cookies – These are for the cannons on the side. Cut the cookies into three sections to have six cannons total, three on each side.
• Hershey candy bars – Unwrap Hershey Bars and place them on top of the cake as the floor of the deck to fit.
• Plastic pirate figurines – You can find these at a local store or party store. Use frosting as glue to hold down the pirate’s feet in the cake.
• Wooden skewers – These are for the masts to hold the sails. Having them open looks like they are on the ocean with the wind hitting them.
• White or black paper for sails – These are easy to make with the skewers going through the poked holes of the paper.
• Pirate flag – Trace or print the pirate symbol onto white paper for the ownership of the pirate ship.
• Pirate map – We printed and burned the edges of the map to look more authentic. You can either put this under the cake on the tray or roll it up too.
• Gold coins – Place the gold coins around the area of the cake. Chocolate gold coins or plastic gold coins work great!

To make it even more realistic, I added a tray that the pirate ship can rest on then added the treasure map and treasure chest that could easily be transported to where the party was happening. Follow these step-by-step ways to make this easy pirate ship cake quickly and easily for your next party!

• Preparing the cake – Cut both of the cakes in half. You will have 4 semi-circles, but you will only use 3 for the cake. Set 4th aside for extra cake slices. Put frosting on each half and layer them. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 1 hour.
• Cutting and shaping – Remove cakes from the freezer. Trim off about an inch of the most rounded part of the cake on an angle so the front of the ship is higher than the back of the ship. Turn the cakes upright, as shown.

These are just some ideas to get your creative side started! Add your personal touches to the pirate cake making it your very own!

• First – Frost the deck of the ship or the top of the cake with a light layer of frosting. Place the skewers on the cake.
• Deck – Unwrap Hershey bars and place them on top of the cake as the floor of the deck to fit.
• Boarder – Frost the sides of the cake in one of two ways. You can simply spread frosting on the cake or use a star tip. Use a star tip to put a top border around the top of the cake (ship deck).
• Masts – Cut 7 sails from the paper, then slip them onto the skewers and pinch them so it looks like they are billowing in the wind.
• Cannons – For the cannons, cut 2 Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies into three equal sections. Place a candle in the center of each cookie so the wick end is sticking out about half an inch. Push three cannons into each side of the cake. Make sure that the surface on which the cake rests is impervious to wax, as the burning candles will drip.
• Yarn – Add yarn for the rope around the masts.
• Pole – For the front bow part (the pole) use a full Pirouette cookie or a pretzel stick. Tie a rope, using jute or yarn, from the end of the cookie to the top of the mast.
• Pipe – Marble blue food coloring into white icing, making it look like water. Pipe it on with a star tip, like waves, along the bottom of the boat.
• Pirates – Place pirate figurines on the deck with a little frosting under their feet so they will stick to the deck. Place gold coins around the cake.

Decorate your pirate ship just the way you like it! Go above and beyond or make it simple. Either way the cake is delicoius and the pirate ship is going to be an amazing display for any party!

• Decorate – This recipe gives you a chance to be creative! You can add plastic pirate figures ,  gold coins , gold sprinkles , or whatever you can to make it the best pirate cake ever!
• Display – Place the cake on a cookie sheet or board covered by a pirate map.
• Frosting – If you want to take it to the next level you could add more of the blue frosting around the sides and put plastic sea creature figures! The possibilities are as endless as the open sea! Feel free to leave your ideas in the comments! As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

“We made this for a birthday party and oh my gosh was it a hit. Super cute and fun. I loved that it was easy to make!” -Meagen B.

Make sure to follow the package instructions on how long to bake the cake for and at what temperature for 9 inch cake pans. To avoid over cooking and buring the cake you can use a toothpick to stick into the middle of the cake and if it comes out clean, the cake is done. If it has cake batter still on it, bake a few minutes longer.

This is always a common question when it comes to pirate ships. Yes! They were real, however, I am not sure if they continue to be the same type of ship and pirates in these modern times. They have said that there was a pirate ship that was discoverd off the coast of Wellfleet, MA.

Need more inspiration for a fun birthday cake or cupcakes for our next birthday party? With a little creativity, you can make something memorable that your child will love.

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Barbie Cake

Disney Princess Cake

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 (9 inch) round cakes prepared and baked
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups chocolate icing
• ▢ 2 cups white icing
• ▢ blue food coloring

Decorations:

• ▢ 3 Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies
• ▢ 4 Hershey candy bars
• ▢ plastic pirate figurines
• ▢ 3 (10 inch) wooden skewers
• ▢ white or black paper for sails
• ▢ pirate flag (you can find one online and print it)
• ▢ pirate map (optional)
• ▢ gold coins (optional)

Instructions

• Cut the cakes in half. You will have 4 semi-circles, but you will only use 3 for the cake. Set 4th aside for extra cake slices.
• Put frosting on each half and layer them. Wrap in plastic and freeze for 1 hour.
• Remove cakes from freezer. Trim off about an inch of the most rounded part of the cake on an angle (the bottom of the ship) so the front of the ship is higher than the back of the ship. Turn the cakes upright, as shown.
• Optional: place cake on a cookie sheet or board covered by a Pirate map.
• Frost the deck of the ship or top of the cake with a light layer of frosting. Place the skewers (masts) on the cake.
• Unwrap Hershey Bars and place them on top of the cake (around the masts) as the floor of the deck to fit.
• Frost the sides of the cake in one of two ways – you can simply spread frosting on the cake or use a star tip. Use a star tip to put a top border around the top of the cake (ship deck).
• Cut 7 sails (3 inch by 5 inch) from the paper, then slip them onto the skewers (masts) and pinch them so it looks like they are billowing in the wind.
• For the cannons, cut 2 Pepperidge Farm Pirouette Cookies into three equal sections (so you have 6 cannons). Place a candle in the center of each cookie so the wick end is sticking out about a half an inch. Push three cannons into each side of the cake.
• Make sure that the surface on which the cake rests is impervious to wax, as the burning candles will drip.
• Add yarn for the rope around the masts.
• For the front bow part (the pole) use a full Pirouette cookie or a pretzel stick. Tie a rope, using jute or yarn, from the end of the cookie to the top of the mast.
• Marble blue food coloring into white icing, making it look like water. Pipe it on with a star tip, like waves, along the bottom of the boat.
• Place pirate figurines on deck with a little frosting under their feet so they will stick to the deck. Place gold coins around the cake (optional).

Nutrition Information

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Erica Walker

Erica lives in Boise, Idaho with her husband, Jared, an attorney, and her three beautiful girls. Beyond the world of recipes, she loves adventuring with everything from kayaking, to cruising, to snowboarding and taking the family along for the thrill ride.

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Do you have a recipe for the chocolate cake?

We just used a boxed chocolate cake mix!

10 Nautical Cakes That Will Totally Float Your Boat

Do you know a salty sailor, a fanatical fisher, or a marvellous mermaid whose birthday is coming up? Check out these fabulous nautical celebration cakes - from a shark full of fish lollies to extravagant jelly-moulded masterpieces, there's something to satisfy the whole crew!

The Sailboat

Don your lifejacket and hoist the sails!This sweet and simple cake is perfect for your favourite yachtie.

Lighthouse Cupcakes

These cute maritime cupcakes are perfect for sharing - and they're surprisingly simple! Make life easy by using ice cream cones to create your lighthouses.

No, not those kind of fish cakes. This one's for the fishers with a sweet tooth!

Classic Rum Cake

This one's for the grown-ups! Pro tip from an old sailor: used spiced rum for added depth of flavour.

Mindy the Mermaid

Yes, from that classic children's birthday cake cookbook used by every kiwi mum in the 90's...you know the one !

The Minimalist Mermaid

This one could also work as fish scales...though that doesn't sound very appetising now that we think of it.

Vegan Surfer Cheesecake

For the Mount Maunganui-based wellness queen, surfer, influencer-type in your life...This one is perfect for #thegram

Coral Reef Cake

This one will take a bit of time, which makes it the perfect lockdown project! (The American in our midst suggests substituting digestive biscuits for the graham crackers).

The Stuffed Shark

It may not be Shark Week, but we're loving this fearful creation. It's a red velvet shark. With candy fishies in its tummy. Get your jaws around that!

Whirlpool School of Sharks

While we're on the subject of our favourite apex preditor, how gorgeously terrifying is this ombre creation?

Cake by the Ocean

This one really takes the, er, cake. You've got pillowy-soft sand, an aquamarine jelly sea, and fondant palm trees shading your beach chairs. This cake is almost as good as that trip to Rarotonga you had to cancel because of lockdown... Almost .

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Sailboat Birthday Cake

Lastly, I pressed the bottom of the boat down into the top of the cake and then pressed the chopstick down into the cake, as well. Ta-da!

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The Cake Blog

10 Sea-Loving Nautical Cakes

June 10, 2015 by Carrie Sellman

There’s something about a coastal wedding that rings true to classic form.  With preppy color palettes, stripes and nods to the water, you can’t help longing to hear the crash of waves and feel the salty ocean air on your skin.  Elegant and timeless, seaside celebrations will forever be chic.   So today we’re loving on some amazing cakes inspired by the sea.  Along the way, we’ll welcome back some of our favorite cake artists while also introducing you to new designers making their first appearance here on the blog.  Hooray for all of these talented bakers — we can’t get enough of your spectacular cake creations (#cakeloveonthecakeblog)!   Let’s set sail with these   10 Nautical Cakes …

Seafoam green and golden accents are paired with marbled fondant in this gorgeous design by Tiffany MacIsaac and Alexandra Mudry of  Buttercream Bakeshop , bringing an unexpected twist to the classic nautical theme.   (Photography by  Sweet Root Village , Styling by  Lauryn Prattes Events )

Swirling rows of fondant rope are flanked by tiers of grey in this serene seaside design, by Erin Gardner of  Erin Bakes , and beautifully accented with a floral arrangement of gum paste peonies, French tulips, leaves, buds, and manzanita branches.   (Photography by  Mark Davidson )

A crisp white anchor pops on the navy tiers in this modern nautical cake, by Sherri Meyers and her team at  The Pastry Studio , while embossed bands add a touch of gold.   (Photography by Sherri Meyers)

Inspired by the beautiful coast of Southern California, this stunning design by Lindsey Stone, owner of  S’more Sweets Bakery , showcases the natural colors of the ocean combined with wavelike organic ruffles.   (Photography by  Carolly Photography )

Sporting a traditional feel, this buttercream cake by Lisa and Stephen Maronian, co-owners of  Sweet Lisa’s Exquisite Cakes , pairs preppy navy anchors with swiss dots, twisted rope borders and a monogram flag topper.   (Photography by  Christina Szczupak )

Created for a riverboat reception, this lighthouse themed nautical cake by Robin Martin, owner of  Gateaux Inc. , includes amazingly tiny white railings, posts, and nautical flags which, of course, are all edible!  (Photography by  Corinna See Photography ).

Tiers wrapped in ruffled white chocolate create little coves for edible sea shells and starfish in this elegant design, by Sherri Meyers and her team at  The Pastry Studio , which is appropriately topped with a pair of Mr & Mrs wooden chairs.   (Photography by Sherri Meyers)

Navy, stripes and twisted rope meet up with a pair of golden anchors in this lovely nautical design, by Jennifer Billingsley of  Honeycomb Events & Design , while pops of mint bring a fresh feel to this classic look. (Photography by  Cari Courtright Photography )

Stepping out from the expected, this white-on-white design by Lauren Bohl White, owner of A White Cake , combines texture with clusters of sea shells for a non-traditional nod to the ocean. (Photography by A White Cake)

YOU MAY ALSO ENJOY: This DIY Nautical Cake This Preppy Nautical Cake This Classic Nautical Cake This Ocean Sunset Cake

Carrie Sellman is the Founder & Editor of The Cake Blog . Her work has been published in BRIDES Magazine, Country Living Magazine and featured online at People, Today, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Redbook, Real Simple, TLC, The Cooking Channel and more.

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July 20, 2015 at 2:35 pm

Some really gorgeous inspirational cakes! I have just made some anchors from florist paste and it was much harder than I imagined it would be. It would be amazing to find an anchor cutter!

October 7, 2015 at 8:55 am

Thank you for sharing this beautiful selection! I very much like the cakes with the shells, especially the last one – it looks very classy with the sea stars and white flowers.

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Sailboat Birthday Cake

I made this cake for my boyfriend's birthday a few years ago. It was very simple and though it isn't anything fancy, I liked it.

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Comments (4)

Sheryl, I like it too. Carved cake is not always the easiest. I like the masts and your placement of candles. I bet he loved it.

Thank you! You are very kind!

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The Boat Galley

making boat life better

Happy Birthday Cake

Published on August 17, 2011 ; last updated on January 18, 2023 by Carolyn Shearlock

I originally wrote this for the one-year anniversary of when I began writing The Boat Galley . . .

Happy Birthday to The Boat Galley!

Just one year ago, I started writing The Boat Galley. So, to celebrate, I wanted to post one of my boat-friendly “birthday cake” recipes today.

As I looked back over the recipes I’ve posted in the past year, I see that I’ve put several “chocoholic” recipes up ( Chocolate Upside Down Cake , No-Bake Chocolate-Oatmeal Cookies and Chocolate Truffles ) but few other sweets.  Believe it or not, sometimes we want something other than chocolate.

Time and time again, I turned to this recipe for birthdays (ours and friends’), anniversaries, landfalls, holidays and other special occasions such as “it’s Wednesday!”  And since it’s hard to do more traditional cake decorations on a boat, I’ve found that a great alternative is to make an appropriate sign and, with a little tape and toothpicks, stick it into the cake to announce the occasion.

This oatmeal cake is great on a boat for several reasons:

• Easy to mix by hand if you let the shortening or butter soften;
• Ingredients are easy to find and store;
• Frosting that doesn’t require a beater;
• Stays moist;
• Can easily make half a recipe for an 8×8 or loaf pan;
• It takes just over an hour from idea to “ready-to-eat-still-warm-from-the-oven;” and
• It’s delicious!

This recipe originally came from our friend Betty Macy, who allowed Jan and me to use it in our cookbook, The Boat Galley Cookbook .

Oatmeal Spice Cake

Ingredients.

• ▢ 1 1/4 cups boiling water
• ▢ 1 cup old-fashioned (quick or instant oatmeal)
• ▢ 1/2 cup softened shortening (OR butter OR margarine)
• ▢ 1 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1 cup sugar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 1 1/2 cups flour
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• ▢ 1/4 cup butter (OR margarine)
• ▢ 1/2 cup brown sugar
• ▢ 1/4 cup cream (OR half-and-half OR evaporated milk OR milk OR soy milk)
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• ▢ 1 1/3 cups flaked or shredded coconut
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped pecans (OR walnuts)

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Pour boiling water over oatmeal, set aside and let stand while making cake. IMPORTANT: The first time I made this, I put the water and oatmeal in a pan together and then turned the burner on high, thinking I’d cook it like for oatmeal. But there’s a lot less water and the oats scorched — badly — before I realized it. Learn from my mistake: put the oatmeal in a small bowl, then pour the boiling water over them and let it sit. It’ll form a thick glob — that’s fine.
• Use the back of a spoon to cream together the shortening, brown sugar, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl. If the shortening/butter/margarine is soft — that is, at room temperature — it’s easy to mix it by hand.
• Add eggs and beat so that it’s well mixed together.
• Then add oatmeal mixture. It’ll be one big blob, but use your spoon to break it up a bit. Then start mixing and it’ll break up into small pieces — it’s okay if it’s still a little lumpy.
• Mix together flour, salt, soda, and cinnamon in a measuring cup or small bowl, then add it to the oatmeal mixture. Stir it until it’s all mixed in, then beat 20 to 30 strokes so that it’s all thoroughly mixed and a little fluffy.
• Pour the batter into a greased 9″ x 13″ pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick or knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
• While the cake is baking, mix together the topping ingredients in a small bowl.
• If you have a BROILER: When cake is done, quickly spread the topping over the cake, then put it back under the broiler for about 5 minutes until it bubbles.
• If you DON’T have a broiler: Let the cake cool somewhat (it doesn’t have to be totally cool). Put the topping mixture into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat until it just starts to boil, stirring occasionally. Spread over the cake.
• Serve warm or cooled.

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Reader Interactions

Jim Almond says

August 17, 2011 at 3:42 pm

Happy Birthday!!!!

Jonnie Combs says

October 22, 2021 at 8:18 am

Wondering if you have successfully made this cake with sweeteners other than the 2 cups of sugar (!) in the recipe.

I find many of the recipes you share very helpful, especially the ones for the spur-of-the-moment potluck get-togethers when we pull into a marina with just an hour or thirty minutes before the event begins!

Carolyn Shearlock says

October 24, 2021 at 10:05 am

I haven’t tried, but I’d bet that Allulose would work perfectly. Get it on Amazon .

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